HaMmam Amsterdam
“In the hammam, not only body and mind, but also the senses are caressed. The rooms are beautifully mysteriously lit by the skimming light from the roof, which gives a hushed and soothing atmosphere. The drops from the taps falling into the water troughs are like music to your ears, occasionally interrupted by the space-filling chants of the working scrubbers. The feeling of being protected and embraced by the walls of the bathhouse and the atmosphere in the bathhouse, makes you can get in deep contact with yourself.”
Today, the hamam is not only used by Muslims. Other ethnic groups have also found their way to the hamam in recent years. Muslims and non-Muslims bathe side by side and interchangeably. Traditionally, bathing has been a social activity for Islamic women in particular. By placing this facility in Amsterdam East, the hamam could take on this social function again. And the use by people from different cultural backgrounds will promote mutual understanding.
The hamam is situated in a park between the detached buildings on the north side of the Oosterpark in Amsterdam East. This is a district with a very diverse population. The building is introvert and is separated into two volumes by a bayonet passage: the men’s and women’s bathing sections. In the space between the two volumes you walk to both entrances of the hamam, a zone between inside and outside.
The structure of the building is inspired by the 1880s Razvian house in Yazd, Iran. It is introduced for the routing, construction and organization of the plan. A tight structure of U-shaped living spaces interspersed with corridors. This creates a parallel use of different spaces.
The visitor can move around between the accommodation spaces without having to enter them. In these spaces the changing rooms, massage rooms, rest rooms and bathing rooms with different temperatures are situated.
The fascination with the infinite structures and decorations of Islamic architecture are carried through into the building in form, use of materials and construction. Subtle interruptions within this strict structure create surprisingly and special spaces.
The search in Islamic architecture for an orderly way and structure to accommodate the program is also recognizable in Dutch Structuralism. The design grabs back to an old Islamic structure, interwoven with contemporary forms: with the aim of offering recognition to both Muslims and non-Muslims.
project Hamam, an Oriental bathhouse, 2005
design by Brecht Goeman
place Amsterdam
size 2.500m2
